In Loving Memory
by Haneoka
Summary: COMPLETE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7  DEATHLY HALLOWS. After the final battle, eulogies are given for those who died by their loved ones. It's a time for remembrance, a time for grief, and a time for comfort.
1. Introduction

**COMPLETE SPOILERS FOR THE END OF BOOK 7**.

They gathered round, every student, every teacher, every wizard and witch who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

One day, they would all speak of what had happened on that day. Of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom and the monstrous snake and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Of what they did, of what they saw.

Of who died.

Once the euphoria, relief, and celebration had ended, they each took a seat in the Great Hall. And they grieved for the dead, as one by one, families and friends of the lost ones stood to speak. In loving memory of those they had lost.


	2. Fred Weasley

**Eulogy for Fred Weasley**

George stood up at the front of the Great Hall, seeing without really seeing the sea of faces before him. He didn't look at his family.

Everyone quietly waited for him to compose himself.

He had never felt a grief this deep. He felt as if he could never laugh again.

Because the pain was so terrible, because the silence was so dreadful, he did not want to think anymore and stay lost in his thoughts. And he finally opened his mouth and started to speak.

"Fred was my brother. Fred was my twin. Fred was my other half."

"We liked to joke about who was the better half. The better looking one."

"Many of you knew us, but you knew us at the Weasley twins. You didn't know us separately. You didn't know who was Fred and who was George. And that was okay. We liked it that way. You know why?"

"Because if I wasn't me, there's no person I would rather be than Fred. It was never an insult. We took it as a compliment to be mistaken for each other. There's no person I trusted more, there's no person I thought was a better man than Fred. And I know Fred felt the same way."

"Fred was me. I was Fred."

"So even though now, you think that Fred is gone, I want you to remember. He's a part of me. You can't get away from Fred Weasley so easily." A ripple of laughter moved through the crowd, and then was hastily choked off.

"No, really, it's okay to laugh. I'm being serious. It's my mission to make sure you never forget Fred and all he lived for. I'm going to work twice as hard. I'll laugh twice as much. I'll cry twice as much. I'm going to live my life for the both of us. As long as I am around – and I aim to be around a damn long time – the world will never forget Fred Weasley. When you look at me, call me whatever you like. Once in a while, call me Fred. Because I really am the better-looking one, and so if you call me Fred, then that means you think Fred is the better-looking one. And that would make Fred happy, don't you think?"

There was laughter through the tears. Or maybe it was tears through the laughter. Whatever it was, George knew, in his heart, that that was the way Fred would have wanted it.


	3. Severus Snape

**Eulogy for Severus Snape**

Harry stood up and looked at everyone. So many did not know what he knew. But it was time for that to change.

He promised himself, that after he finished, not a single person would not know the sacrifice made by Severus Snape.

He took a deep breath. "Many of you knew Professor Snape. But few of you really knew him. I'm guilty of that."

"His classes were hard and he was strict. He would never win a popularity contest." 

"But I want everyone to know this. While Dumbledore may be the greatest headmaster at Hogwarts, Professor Snape by far was the bravest."

Everyone was silent.

"I want everyone to think of the people that you love. Your mothers, your fathers, your sisters, your brothers, your friends. Think of all of them. Think of all the love that you have for them. Think of all the love that you receive from them."

Harry quietly continued. "Now, think of if all the love that you had for all these people, was all bottled up. And you gave that love to just one person. Just…one…person."

"So instead of family and friends, your world revolves around just one person. One person's smile. One person's warmth. One person's happiness."

"And that, was how Professor Snape felt about my mother. Lily Evans."

"He loved her since they were children. They were best friends for a long time. He helped her realize her magical talents as a witch."

"But they weren't meant to be. He had a troubled childhood. As in childhood, just as in adulthood, he could not win any popularity contests. Everything came so hard for him. It was so hard for him to talk to her. It was so hard for him to be what she needed. It was hard for him to control his emotions. Sometimes he let his emotions get the best of him. But that isn't to say he didn't have any."

"I want you to remember, that if he ever said a harsh word or did something cruel to you… I want you to think about the fact that he had given all his love to one person, and he simply wasn't capable of giving much warmth or affection to anyone else. He just didn't know how to open his heart again."

"But even though he couldn't love anyone else, he continued to do what was right. Not what was easy. He went to work for Voldemort – but he was always working for Dumbledore. For Hogwarts. For my mother. He pretended to be Voldemort's man and in return for his support, Voldemort made him headmaster at Hogwarts."

"I know many of you were plotting against him. You were punished for your efforts. But the truth is, he was always trying to protect you from Voldemort's true spies." 

"I was wrong. I was wrong about Professor Snape, from the very beginning till almost the very end. He was a good man. A brave man. He was a man who loved deeply and completely."

"While he lived, he received no reward for his efforts except the knowledge of doing the right thing. He worked without fame, without glory, without recognition. No one ever knew what he sacrificed."

"But now, after his death, it is my one hope…that we will go forward, and we will remember the name of Severus Snape, and recognize his bravery, his goodness, and the love that motivated him. That we will remember and celebrate his sacrifice."

There was a long moment of silence.

And then Harry stood back from the podium, and quietly began clapping.

In one motion, everyone stood, and began applauding. The thunderous applause grew louder and louder, and though seconds ticked by, it showed no sign of abating. Then people began to cheer, and the Great Hall echoed with their shouts.

"Snape! Snape! Snape!" they chanted. "The hero of Hogwarts!"

Somehow, though Harry, for much of his life, had not known Snape very well at all…he knew that Snape would not want to be remembered with tears or grief. There had been too much sadness and loss in Snape's life. Not enough happiness.

They gave Severus Snape the cheers, the adoration, and the love that he had never known in his lifetime. The sound reached out through the Great Hall, through the corridors, up the stairs, and into the headmaster's room, where a figure in the newly appeared portrait of the last headmaster of Hogwarts wiped away tears.


	4. Colin Creevey

**Eulogy for Colin Creevey**

Everyone quietly waited as a short, light-haired figure approached the podium. Dennis Creevey.

In his hands, he held a camera. His face was calm, missing the enthusiastic smile that had always seemed as if it was plastered there.

Though he was a small figure, his voice rang through the Great Hall loud and clear.

"This camera belonged to my big brother. It represents a lot of things about Colin."

"The first is his love for Hogwarts. He was so excited to be here, when he received the letter, the first thing he asked my parents for was a camera, so he could take pictures of everything. He didn't want to forget anything."

"The second is his need to be a part of the action. Whatever happened, he wanted to be there. He wasn't content to sit on the sidelines. He wanted to see everything up close. He had to be a part of the action. Most of the times, he used his camera. Today, he used his magic to join the fight."

"The third is me. Because before I came here, he knew that I wanted to be a part of this world too. He sent me every single one of his pictures. He told me everything. About Harry Potter, about the monster that froze him…he was never afraid of anything, even after that happened. He went on about how exciting and wonderful and amazing this world was. And through his pictures, I loved this place before I came here."

"I know that if Colin had any regrets, it wasn't about coming to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was what he loved. Hogwarts was where he was happy. He was happy to fight for Hogwarts."

Dennis clutched the camera, tears sliding down his face. "I'm happy that he did it. He helped save my life. I'm grateful to him for all that he shared with me, for all that he did." He choked back another sob.

"So I don't know why I can't stop crying." He trembled, with confusion in his voice, "Colin would want me to be happy…he always wanted me to share in his happiness…"

After a long, long moment in which nothing but Dennis's sobs could be heard, a tall, red-haired figure approached Dennis, bent down, and slung an arm around him.

You could not find two more different-looking figures in all of Hogwarts. But standing there together, in their shared grief, they were exactly the same.

George Weasley quietly said to Dennis, "I know exactly how you feel." Dennis looked up to him. The tears slowed down, and he nodded.


	5. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks

**Eulogy for Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks**

Harry was supposed to speak for Lupin, but he was suddenly terrified that if he did, he would break down in front of everyone.

Hermione looked over at him, and the look in her eyes showed that she understood how he felt. She stood up to take his place behind the podium.

Harry did not want to share his own personal grief over Lupin's death, which had suddenly become very precious, and very private. But he was certain that Hermione knew exactly what should be said. What needed to be said.

He was right.

She spoke clearly and with the same sense of justice and passion that had driven her to protect the rights of house elves. "Many of you remember Professor Remus Lupin. He was kind, and intelligent, and perceptive. He was the best Defense against the Dark Arts professor we ever had." Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

"Yet for much of his life, he had a secret. Bitten as a child by a werewolf, in fact one of the werewolves who was defeated here today, he suffered in silence and feared exposure."

"Werewolves, as you all know, were feared. Are feared. Because he was afraid of causing trouble, Professor Lupin left Hogwarts after his secret was exposed."

"Remus Lupin fought bravely against Voldemort. But in all else, he was too gentle to challenge public opinion. If he had survived, he probably would not have fought to try and change everyone's opinions of werewolves."

"So I'm going to do that for him. If there is one thing that we can do for Lupin, after his death, it is this. That we don't recoil in disgust at the mention of a werewolf. That we don't tell tales of werewolves that make little children scream in horror. That we show compassion, understanding and respect for those who are not exactly like us. Because even if once a month, they don't look like us…deep down, they are exactly like us."

Hermione glanced over at Harry, and he nodded, not yet ready to go up.

"Few of you knew Tonks. She went to Hogwarts and was a student in Hufflepuff."

"She was brilliant and became an even more brilliant auror. She was one of the key members of the Order of the Phoenix, which has never stopped fighting Voldemort over the years, not for a single second."

"Her talent as an auror was only exceeded by the size of her heart. Though she never stopped battling, she still found time to fall in love. With Remus Lupin." Hermione started to tear up, as did many in the audience. "And he with her."

"There are so many people to grieve for and so many things to cry about, that we also should not forget in all of this, that love is the most important thing. Love is what keeps us going. Love is what helps us survive, even in times of war."

Hermione glanced over and stepped back as Harry, composed again, re-took his place behind the podium.

"Teddy Lupin was born out of that love. Like me, Teddy Lupin will grow up without his parents in his life. Unlike me, there will not be a day in his life where he feels as alone as I did, before I came to Hogwarts. He'll know that his parents were heroes…not just saving his life, but saving my life. And yours."

"I grew up in the shadow of a tragedy. So too, will Teddy. But, Teddy will never fear another coming of another evil. Thanks to his parents, all of us, and our children, and our children's children, will be able to live without that fear."


	6. Final Remembrance

**Final Remembrance**

Harry felt more drained than he had immediately after the fight had ended. But for his own sake, and for everyone's sake, he had one last thing to say. One final remembrance.

"There are many who died fighting. There are many who died as innocent victims."

"Remember what Dumbledore said, three years ago. Remember Cedric Diggory. He was the first innocent victim."

"Dumbledore's words are more important today than they were three years ago. What he was telling us was not simply to remember his name, but all that he represented. Goodness. Innocence. Sacrifice. His feelings for his fellow students. Our feelings for him."

Harry's eyes met Cho Chang's across the room. She nodded slightly, the faintest nod of agreement, or approval, Harry didn't know which.

"So today I repeat Dumbledore's words. That we should all remember Cedric Diggory…and all others like him."

Harry paused, thinking about his parents. And someone else's.

He took a deep breath, and looked over to the side, where Neville Longbottom was looking at him. "Neville?"

Neville stood up, and walked over. Without a stammer, without hesitation, he spoke. "Remember all of our friends and our family who have fallen in this battle. Remember those that did not die, but were wounded in ways that can never be healed. As long as we remember, their sacrifice is not in vain."

"I hope we always remember our happy times together in the past…and that we are always grateful for the future that they helped save."

Neville turned, and he and Harry hugged. Two orphaned boys who grew up in two different ways. Destiny had set them apart, but in the end, they were not so different after all.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I was in need of comforting after book 7, so that is why I wrote this. I hope you liked it. I really do appreciate reviews and comments. Thanks for reading and I hope to continue writing (what I'm not exactly sure), so see you next time.


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